The Tshwane Events Centre in Pretoria, once seen as a world-class venue, is now in a state of disrepair, according to Newsday.
The site has broken windows, spilt sewage, tall grass and broken toilets. Much of its infrastructure is falling apart.
A R1.5 billion plan announced by the City of Tshwane in October 2023 to redevelop the site had not happened by November 2026, the report said.
The facility was badly vandalised in 2022. Thieves took almost all of its electrical cables. They also stole aluminium items such as door handles.
MMC Kingsley Wakelin said security companies hired by the City to guard the centre had been negligent. He said this led to widespread vandalism and littering.
Wakelin also blamed the centre’s past management under the Tshwane Business and Agricultural Corporation, known as Tshwabac. He said it had allowed the site to decay, and the municipality would work to save it from further damage.
The 2023 plan was meant to turn the centre into a commercial mixed-use precinct. It would have included a hotel and conference centre, shops, offices and homes.
The property was valued at about R500 million at the time. An open, competitive bidding process for it was approved in June 2022. The lease was set to run for 50 years.
“To make the property attractive to developers, the City is busy with consolidation and rezoning processes to get the best bids possible,” Wakelin said at the time.
“Development will then take place as soon as the winning developer is announced. The bidding process will be open and fair, and no trace of corruption will be tolerated,” he said.
Wakelin had said the Independent Electoral Commission was interested in using the venue for the 2024 general election and the 2026 local government election. The IEC instead chose a different results centre for both elections.
The centre was formerly called the Pretoria Showgrounds. It grew out of the Pretoria Show, which began in 1939 as the Transvaalse Landbouskou, a regional farming exhibition.
Over the years it became one of the largest spring shows in South Africa, with entertainment and activities for families. The show was open only to white visitors under apartheid until 22 August 1977, when it opened to people of all races.
In 2009 it was renamed the Tshwane International Show under Tshwabac. Former chief executive Wim du Toit said at the time that the show added R50 million a year to the city’s economy.
Tshwabac received the land free of charge from the City in 1995, on condition that it be used as a public events centre. It ran into money problems in 2016 and asked to sell the property in 2017, but the City refused.
The City demanded the land back, saying it was no longer used for its intended purpose. After a legal battle lasting several years, the showgrounds returned to the City of Tshwane in September 2021.
Source: this article is based on reporting by newsday.co.za. Image: newsday.co.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.